I made you a coffee
by slaymaster
Summary: Kate Beckett woke up wrapped in the arms of Richard Castle. So much has happened in the past 24 hours. One shot set between Beckett waking up and her making coffee. No real spoilers, but based on the first sneak peek.


"**I made you a coffee"**

_**Okay so I saw the sneak peek ( watch?v=9zqI928AC1k&feature=player_embedded) and then couldn't sleep. I thought I'd write a one-shot that takes place after Kate wakes up, but before Castle does. I hope you like it. **_

Kate woke slowly. She felt more rested than she had for weeks, and more alive than she had felt since before her mother's death. She had the most amazing dream that all her dreams had come true. She shifted slightly and felt an arm around her torso and a body wrapped behind her. It wasn't a dream. Turning her head slowly, she wanted to confirm what she already knew: she had slept with Richard Castle, world famous novelist and her partner.

She slowly shifted her body so she could watch him sleep. If they were any other partnership, it would be creepy, but for them, it passed as normal. She watched as his bare chest rose and fell with each breath. He looked so peaceful to Kate, and that is what made it so painful.

It wasn't that the night before had been a mistake; it wasn't. It was the most amazing night of her life. But if it hadn't been a dream, Kate knew that the other parts were just as real.

Kate felt herself begin to violently shake. She didn't want to wake Rick or disturb his peaceful sleep. Taking a deep breath, she slowly extracted herself from him and stood. She was, of course, lacking clothing, a fact she would have missed if it were not for the large mirror on the back of the bedroom door. Despite the lack of clothes, she made her way to what she thought was his en suite. She needed space to think; so much had happened. She had quit her job. Kate Beckett was no longer a detective; she was unemployed. Sinking to the floor, Kate let herself feel the gravity of her situation. Her job had been the world to her. It was the place she felt safe, the place she felt needed. The force had saved her life after the death of her mother and, without it, she felt empty all over again.

She had briefly mentioned her job change to Castle – Rick, she had to start using his real name – during the action overnight, allowing nuggets of truth to escape alongside stolen kisses. They hadn't discussed what it meant, if it meant anything at all. She just hoped he wouldn't tell her she had made a mistake. She knew Gates had been right to suspend her and Esposito; she had directly defied orders, again, and almost died as a result. Maddox wasn't like the others she had faced before. He meant business and she was lucky to be alive. So many lives had been lost in her quest for justice.

It was because of her. Hell, she had been shot in the chest because of her need for the truth. Her hand instantly touched the point the bullet had entered. It was painful, not physically, but psychologically. She had thought that the pain would be gone after last night. She had bared her soul, and her body, including all her scars, for Rick to see. She had let him in. That was supposed to make things easier. She let her hand slide lower to the incision scar that surgery left behind.

She wondered what her shrink would say right now. He'd probably start by saying something as inane as 'What do you want?' She knew. She felt it and she acted. She had wanted Richard Alexander Rogers and she had made it happen for herself. She was here, ready. She had let the wall fall down. And it fell for him.

She knew what had been missing: ever since the shooting, her heart had fluttered faster when he was around. She had thought she had feelings for him before, but Josh came into her life. Even so, the past was no comparison to what she felt for him now. She couldn't help but think that he may be the one guy to get close enough to actually hear those words.

Her hands brushed over her face, rubbing her eyes as she tried to fight back tears. Finally, she was in a position to actually have something with someone she cared about. She had potential to have a _real_ relationship. She could have a happily ever after. Of course, the universe wouldn't let her get what she wanted, what she _needed_. She had existed in a bubble for such a long time after her mother's death, with everything in her life revolving around solving the case. She finally thought she had found peace with the case and accepted that it was unsolved and now she had Cole Maddox out to kill her. She had someone literally trying to kill her, searching for an opportune moment. She had almost died and all she had cared about was _him_. Someone was out Kate-hunting and all she cared about was an encore of last night. She wasn't afraid of Maddox. She was afraid of the fact that she wasn't.

Kate hoped that giving up on her mother's case and finally putting it, and her own shooting, to rest would stop Maddox and whoever he worked with. She thought that she might finally be ready to let it go. She might be ready to move on with her life. Maybe this could be enough. Maybe she didn't need murders and the Twelfth to have a happy life. She stood up, running her hands through her hair. She was exhausted. It had been a big few days, combined with the activities of the previous night. She needed coffee.

Her nudity once again escaping her notice, Kate left the en suite, returning to Rick's bedroom. Glancing around the room, Kate noticed her clothes balled in one corner, having been removed in the opening act of festivities and later relocated in the third act. For a brief second she considered leaving the room sans clothing, but even in dimes of crises, _not that this was a crisis_, Kate was a practical woman. Clothes were a must, but her own clothes would simply complicate matters. One of Castle's shirts, however, would afford her a modicum of modesty as well as comfort.

He had left his closet open, presumably in his rush to be ready for Alexis' graduation the previous evening. She padded softly to the closet, letting her fingers dance over the sleeves of his many dress shirts. Quite a few were familiar and she smiled as the memories flooded back with each shirt. She finally landed on a long white shirt. It would be long enough to cover what needed covering. She took care not to make a sound as she reached out, lightly tugging the shirt from its hanger and pulling it over her shoulders. It fit, perfectly, and she felt safe, wrapped in his scent. She knew that it made no sense; it was a clean shirt, but she swore it was there.

She breathed in Rick's smell as she quietly made her way to the kitchen in search of coffee. She had been at Castle's loft before during breakfast, but she hadn't felt like a guest the last time. She felt slightly awkward as she made the two coffees. Kate couldn't help but notice that there was a bottle of sugar-free vanilla flavouring on the counter next to the machine. As she reached for it to flavour her own coffee, she noticed that, not only was the bottle full, but it hadn't been opened. It was the little things, like this, that she loved about Rick Castle. As she finished making the two coffees, she couldn't help but think about how different things were the last time she had stayed at Castle's loft. She was a different person. She had been empty, but he had made her whole. Smiling, she picked up the two cups of coffee and returned to the bedroom, pausing outside the door.

It was in that moment, standing outside Rick Castle's bedroom, wearing nothing but one of his shirts while he slept that Kate Beckett realised what had happened. She had, obviously, understood the reality the moment she woke with his arm around her, but the actual tangible reality sunk in. She came to his loft, told him that she wanted him and took the situation into her own hands. They had done the deed and it was great, just like he had said it could have been. She had resigned. She had almost died. None of that had any bearing on how she felt. None of that mattered. Her life had been irrevocably changed forever, not by the man hunting her, not by quitting her job. The course of her life had changed and, no matter what happened from then on, she would always have this. Taking a deep breath, Kate steadied herself, and the coffee, and slowly entered the room. "I made you a coffee"

* * *

_**I'm really trying to improve my writing, so reviews?**_


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